Rapunzel's Choice
by true girlie girl
Summary: Eugene shows Rapunzel ultimate freedom: An alternative ending to Tangled.


_Author's note:_

 _It's impossible to top the original, but here is another alternative ending to Tangled. Enjoy!_

Disclaimer: Tangled belongs to Disney.

* * *

"No, Rapunzel."

"I promise, you have to trust me."

"No, I can't let you do this."

"And I can't let you die."

"But, if you do this, then you will die."

"Hey, it's gonna be alright."

"Rapunzel, wait..." Eugene intervened just as she was about to start singing the healing song.

Rapunzel was kneeling beside him, wanting desperately to save him. Eugene could barely move as he was dying from the stab wound inflicted on him by Gothel. In his mind, there was no choice— he would have to die. The only way Rapunzel would be free of her promise was if he was dead.

Eugene saw the sharp shard of mirror glass, and he was contemplating cutting off all the hair as his hand was touching the glass. However, he still hesitated to follow through as his mind raced through all his options. He worried that Rapunzel would forever hate him for destroying all her magic.

"Don't do this Rapunzel; just run away," he told her in a gentle whisper.

"No," she said. "I won't leave you like this."

"You have to," Eugene urged her to run. "My life isn't important— I've lived it long enough. Don't sabotage yours for me."

Eugene grasped the piece of sharp glass to have it ready in case Rapunzel wouldn't listen to him.

"I'll never forgive myself if you die," Rapunzel said with quivering lips. "I will hate myself forever for doing this to you."

His heart suddenly sank with these words, and Eugene felt himself go numb. His hand went limp and he let go of the shard of mirror that he was holding in his hand. He felt her deep love for him even though she had never said it yet. He knew it would destroy her to see him die.

Rapunzel started to sing.

"No, Rapunzel," he still instinctively resisted to buy them more time. "Please, stop."

Rapunzel ignored his plea and continued to sing. She took his hand and intertwined her fingers with his. She squeezed his hand as the song went on.

All his options continued to flash through his mind.

 _Can I trust her to save herself from her own promises?_ Eugene wondered.

 _Maybe someday, she will come to her senses and find the courage to just break a promise and run away from her mother_ , he thought. _She could very easily free herself; all she would have to do is break a promise._

But, no. He knew in his heart, Rapunzel would _never_ break a promise. The one quality that made her so loveable was also her greatest weakness. He could not trust Rapunzel to save herself from her own promises. He decided he had to die. Cutting the hair would ensure he would be dead. It wouldn't matter if Rapunzel hated him because he would be dead. And, although it would pain her to see him die, Eugene felt certain that she would eventually move on.

He tried to reach for the glass again, but Rapunzel was holding his hand tightly.

Eugene found himself, once again, losing his will to push her away as her words, _I will hate myself_ , played back in his mind.

He continued to contradict himself. _Why am I allowing this?_ he thought.

 _Why am I not fighting her away?_ he questioned.

"Stop," he whispered in one last weak effort.

Rapunzel buried her face into his neck as she softly sang the last words of the song into his ear and embraced him tightly as the magic started to work. Eugene felt his wound disappearing, and he was rapidly regaining his strength. His body was restored to a perfect state.

Gothel was quick to approach them as soon as she saw that Eugene was healed. She immediately took Rapunzel by the hand and started pulling her away.

"Mother, we can't leave him chained here," Rapunzel firmly protested.

"Don't worry, I'll send someone here to get him once we're gone," Gothel lied. "He'll be fine."

Rapunzel resisted Gothel's tugging again. "Mother, can I say goodbye to him one last time?" she pleaded.

Gothel scoffed and started to shake her head no, but then, at the last moment, decided it was harmless. Gothel decided that anything to make Rapunzel a little happier, so that she would comply with her orders, was helpful to her.

"You can have a few minutes," Gothel said coldly.

Rapunzel ran back to Eugene and knelt down beside him again. Eugene just gave her a sad smile and didn't have much to say. Rapunzel saw that he had already unclipped his chains.

"That's good," she whispered with a hint of relief in her voice. "At least I won't have to worry that you made it out."

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize. You're safe now. That's all that matters," she assured him.

There was a brief, awkward silence between them.

"Goodbye Rapunzel," Eugene said very simply.

Rapunzel, a little taken aback, stared at him with heartbroken eyes. Eugene studied her face carefully, trying to read her expression. He was desperately trying to figure out what she was thinking.

 _Does she expect me to follow her?_ he wondered. _Does she want me to rescue her?_ He didn't know what she wanted.

It would be impossible to figure out. Rapunzel wouldn't be able to admit her true desires because asking Eugene to fight Gothel is essentially the same as breaking her promise. She had promised herself to Gothel forever. Trying to get out of the deal means breaking her promise.

 _Her promise is her choice. Is it fair to force her to break her promise?_ Eugene contemplated.

 _Does she want me to fight her mother? Should I forcibly take her mother away from her? Can I do that to her?_ The questions burned in him.

 _What if Rapunzel really does love her mother?_ he wondered. He could not know.

Rapunzel nodded with acceptance. "Goodbye," she mirrored back at him.

As Eugene watched her turn around and start to leave, his quick-wittedness kicked in.

"Rapunzel," he stopped her, and she turned back around. "Can you promise me one thing?"

"Sure," she softly answered.

"Do you promise?"

"You haven't told me what it is yet," she replied.

"Just trust me— I'll never ask you to do anything bad. Do you promise?" he asked again.

"Ok, I promise," she trusted him.

"You have to promise me that someday you will break a promise."

Rapunzel gasped. "You said it was nothing bad."

"It isn't. You can break any promise you like. It doesn't have to be a big promise," he explained. "It can be a small promise: one that is completely fabricated with intention of being broken from the start. It's up to you."

"But—" Rapunzel started.

"Remember," Eugene said, managing to crack a hint of a smile even under these dire circumstances. "You already promised," he reminded her gently. "If you don't break a promise, you are still breaking this new promise that you made to me today. In fact, you have already broken a promise," he said flashing her a teasing smile.

Rapunzel was speechless trying to absorb his words.

"But don't worry," he added. "If you want, it can be a promise broken entirely in secret," he reassured her. "Your choices are infinite. And— I don't even have to know when or how you fulfilled your promise. You will know in your heart when you do and that is enough for me."

She stared at him for a long time straight into his compassionate eyes. She was searching them for answers, and without saying a single word, he was telling her the right decision.

"Alright," Rapunzel reluctantly agreed.

She said her goodbye once again as her hand graced his rough unshaven cheek. Eugene held her hand against his face, not wanting to let go, but a moment later, felt her slip away.

"Rapunzel," he stopped her again.

"Yes?"

"I do have a thing for brunettes," he whispered with a wink. "Just so you know."

"Let's go, Rapunzel," Gothel shouted at her from the other side of the room. "Time's up."

Rapunzel quickly collected a few things, and then she and Gothel left the tower together through the trapdoor.

Once they were out of view, Eugene pulled himself to a stand throwing the shackles to the side. A cloud of depression hovered over his head, but he felt powerless. Rapunzel had to make this decision on her own; he would not forcibly take someone away from her. But at least she was free of her promises, and he hoped she could find the strength to leave that cold-hearted woman.

Eugene slowly made his way down the stairs. His sadness made it difficult to move and he felt as if he had to drag his feet. He reached the base of the tower and pushed through the remnant pieces of the half broken barrier across the door. He exited the doorway to meet the bright light outside...

And no, it wasn't the sun! It was Rapunzel's glittering eyes and sparkling smile! A light wind was blowing through her flowing brown hair that reached halfway down her back. Eugene stared with wide eyes.

"You are my new dream," he beamed with an equally bright smile.

"And you are mine," Rapunzel said as she reached up to run her fingers through his hair.

"Leaving her was the right decision," Eugene assured her. "You deserve all the freedom in the world."

"Thank you, Eugene."

Eugene became momentarily lost in his thoughts. He then looked back at Rapunzel, staring straight into her eyes. "Can you promise me that you will continue to occasionally break promises to me?" he asked sincerely.

"Alright, I promise," Rapunzel replied with a half-smile and a little confused.

"I have one last question for you," he said as he smiled with a hint of the smolder in his eyes. "Will you marry me?"

Rapunzel was a little stunned.

"But don't worry," he added, his eyes turning wide and innocent. "You can break your promise anytime, so it's not a huge commitment."

"Yes!" she answered as she jumped into his arms. They shared their first kiss as he spun her around.

And they lived happily ever after.

* * *

 _Author's note:_

 _I'll admit, there is one major flaw in this alternative ending: Rapunzel had to knowingly end her mother, Gothel's life which would make Rapunzel a cold-hearted person in my opinion._ _Therefore, the original ending to Tangled is still the best!_

 _That said, hopefully this story was an inspirational read, as that is what I strive for in all my writings!_

 _Thank you for reading!_


End file.
